


J.J.

by dralexreid



Series: Dr Piper Bishop [53]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Typical Violence, Drowning, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:54:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28278714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid
Summary: JJ attempts to reunite a family in Atlantic Beach, Maryland, whose daughter has disappeared mysteriously as she contemplates a job offer she cannot ignore.
Relationships: Dr Spencer Reid/Dr Piper Bishop
Series: Dr Piper Bishop [53]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972852
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

“I’m just saying pride and ego down could work on Pearson.” Piper’s voice was pitchy, her tone argumentative as she walked in step with Spencer.

“And I’m saying he’s too secure in himself to respond to that kind of tactic, he hasn’t even called for legal—" He waved his cup of tea, accentuating each word with each motion.

“Bullshit,” she exclaimed. “With the right amount of time and triggering vocabulary—”

“Verbal cues would be far more—”

“Oh, yeah, sure, except that would never hold up in court. What we need is…” Piper trailed off, eyes catching on the rest of the team gathered in the bullpen, Derek sat next to Emily as they gazed at Hotch’s cabin. “JJ’s still in there?”

“They do know we have a flight in 10 minutes, right?” Spencer glanced to his best friend as Piper passed a cup of coffee to Emily.

“Strauss is in there too,” Derek sighed.

“I don't think it's about the case,” Emily pointed out as Spencer leaned over her desk to grab a bottle of lactose pills. “Oh, again with the dairy?”

“He finished an entire ice cream tub yesterday,” Piper said, shaking her head as Derek chuckled beside her.

“I can’t help it. I love dairy,” Spencer protested.

“Do you know anything?” Penelope asked Emily.

“Do I know anything?” she repeated.

“She just repeated the question,” the usually cheerful tech pointed out to Morgan. “You always say that's a sign.”

“Do you know why JJ's in there?” Derek asked her.

“I have no idea,” Emily answered easily. “What is going on?”

“Maybe she asked for a raise.” Piper scrunched her nose at Spencer’s remark.

“Have his blinds ever been closed?” Penelope asked, tension laced in her voice. Piper shrugged, turning to her own seat as she reviewed the case materials. Derek did the same, keeping a glance on Hotch’s cabin while Emily, Spencer and Penelope made no such effort to disguise their trained gaze.

Meanwhile, JJ stood uncomfortably in front of her unit and section chiefs. “I have given it thought,” she said calmly. “I'm not interested.”

“Clearly,” Erin said, condescension veiled in her words. “You turned down the job twice without consulting your unit chief.”

“Agent Jareau is under no obligation to discuss it with me,” Hotch said wearily.

“If the Pentagon calls one of your team members, you should know about it,” Erin countered before turning to JJ. “Why didn't you tell Agent Hotchner that you turned down the position?”

“I never wanted it to get this far because—”

“Because you know it's a better job,” Erin supplied.

“Because I don't want to leave this one,” JJ clarified, arms crossed over her chest.

“You've been here for 6 years.”

“Nearly 7, ma'am,” she corrected the section chief.

“Change is good. And from what I understand, there's less travel with this position. You could stay home with Henry,” Erin suggested, instantly receiving an unsavoury glance from the communications liaison.

“Excuse me?”

“I understand the sacrifices—"

“I do what I love,” JJ said, enunciating each word clearly. “It's made me a better person, a better mother. Any _sacrifices_ I have made have been for my family. I don't have a single regret.” Anger blazed in Jennifer’s eyes.

“We're all in agreement that Agent Jareau is a valuable part of this team,” Hotch intervened calmly, “And it is understandable why the executive branch is requesting a transfer. However, if Agent Jareau respectfully declines their request, there is no way you can make her go.”

“No, I can't,” Strauss admitted. Erin took in a deep breath before beginning to discuss the case. JJ relaxed in her stance as Hotch assured Strauss as he rose from his chair. Politely shaking the unit chief’s hand, the section chief exited the cabin. JJ made to follow the other woman out when Hotch’s voice made her look back.

“Pentagon?”

“Sorry I didn't tell you.”

“It's ok,” Hotch assured her. “It's just— it's a big deal. A liaison for the department of defence— it's a major promotion. Are you sure you don't want this?”

“Hotch, I belong here,” she said, attempting to relieve any doubts from her boss. But Hotch’s instincts couldn’t be so easily sunk and JJ made her way out. As the door swung shut behind her, the profilers below the deck scrambled to look inconspicuous, failing miserably.

“You'd think profilers would cover better than that, wouldn't you?” JJ heard Rossi’s voice come through in a bitter tone. Usually, she would’ve laughed, but the context was far too serious about to be a laughing moment. She turned around to skip down the stairs, moving to grab her bag from her office.

“You read up on the suspects?” Aaron shot at David.

“Presents like the typical dominant/submissive, but I doubt it's that textbook,” he countered as the duo made their way down to join the other profilers who had grabbed their own bags and coffees.

“Well, we’ve only got one shot at this,” Derek grumbled.

“How long have they been in custody?” Piper asked

“60 hours,” Emily answered.

“We have 12 hours to get a confession or find the body,” Hotch cautioned as JJ joined them and they marched down to the elevators where Garcia was waiting.

“Syd Pearson has a lot of money and connections,” Spencer added. “If we let him go, we may never see him again.”

“And Barrett?”

“He doesn’t have the same resources,” Piper answered. “They thought they could use that against them.”

“Do you think these guys did it?” Penelope asked.

“The locals do,” Hotch said, neutral as always. “They tried to get them to turn against one another, but that didn't work.”

“Looks like they have a bond that dates back to childhood,” Piper grumbled.

“We only have a 30-minute flight,” Derek pointed out. “That's not enough time to delve into their histories.”

“Not if we split up, take one suspect each.” Piper proposed brightly as they approached the elevator.

“Bullet points on the missing woman. Second and third pages are all about the suspects,” she summed up for them quickly.

“Garcia, we're gonna need phone records, credit card receipts, anything you can find,” Aaron directed before heading into the elevator. JJ was the last to receive the summary as the others filed into behind Hotch.

“Is everything ok?”

“What, you mean Strauss? Don't,” JJ said with a chuckle. “I know that look.” She moved into the elevator next. “Everything's going to be fine,” she said, smiling as the doors closed in front of them.


	2. Chapter 2

The bathroom door had been closed behind JJ for a few minutes and Spencer leant on the jet's counter, trying to focus on something other than his abdominal cramps. His gut felt like it was twisting into a Gordian knot and he finally heard the door shift. He caught JJ’s expression of turmoil and inner conflict and the question spilled instinctively from his lips. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fine. You?”

“I just feel kind of sick. Excuse me.” They sidled past each other and she heard the door shift behind her as she took a seat beside Emily. Derek kept a trained gaze on JJ as did Emily and even Rossi looked up from his conversation with Piper about the perfect carbonara sauce.

“I got this offer from the Pentagon,” JJ confessed. “I turned it down twice. I never told Hotch or Strauss.”

“And now Strauss wants you to take it,” Emily reasoned.

“Course she does,” Derek justified. “It'll make her look good if you get promoted.”

“I don't trust her for a second,” JJ scoffed, looking down at her file.

“You shouldn't,” Emily agreed. She’d seen her fair share of politics and agendas never turned out well for anyone. “What does Hotch think?”

“He knows I don't want to go,” JJ shrugged.

“Well, then you won't,” Derek assured her.

“Penelope's pretty freaked out, huh?” JJ said without looking up from her file.

“You have to ask?” Derek scoffed as Spencer returned to his seat next to him and Piper tossed him a water bottle. Unfortunately, the bottle sailed through Spencer’s arms, smacking Derek in the chin. Before he could start a war, Hotch prompted JJ to start reviewing the case before they’d land.

Kate Joyce was 19 years old, last seen leaving a bar with two men, Sydney Pearson and James Barrett, both of them were 20 years old. She was reported missing the next morning when she didn't meet her friends which was almost 3 days ago.

“Their story is they dropped Kate at the motel, but there were no cameras to confirm that,” Rossi added.

“And search and rescue have been all over the island,” Hotch continued. “Dragged the inlet and they found nothing.”

“Both said they had sex with Kate,” JJ added. “They're claiming it was consensual.”

“There’s no way to confirm,” Derek countered. “There’s no body.”

“Yeah, but considering their backgrounds, I doubt it was consensual,” Piper scoffed.

“We've got to prove they're guilty of more than just being seen with her,” Rossi said, his tone dry and thoughtful.

“Well, the police weren't able to find any holes in their stories,” Derek grumbled.

“This kind of crime doesn’t suggest planning, though,” Piper thought aloud.

“What, you think they’re telling the truth?” Emily asked her.

“I don’t know, it’s just weird that they both had the same airtight stories.”

“Well, we're gonna have to break them down psychologically,” Hotch said, sighing softly as he glanced back at his team. “Morgan, I want you and Prentiss to lead the interrogation. Dave, you and Reid start at the bar. Bishop, work on an evaluation of both suspects. JJ, Kate Joyce's family is still at the station.” The blonde looked up and back at her boss, surprise in her voice.

“Still? For 3 days?”

“They never went to the hotel,” Hotch said with his regular nonchalance. “I want you to stay with them.” She nodded as the team buckled in for a landing.


	3. Chapter 3

The remnants of the team marched into the precinct, JJ splitting off to handle the family while Prentiss, Morgan, Bishop and Hotch accompanied the detective to the viewing room. Piper started setting up a board while Emily and Derek reviewed the tapes.

“Hit the national news yesterday,” the detective informed Hotch. “A lot of pressure. The mayor would rather have a great white attacking than a homicide.”

“Sure,” Hotch agreed. “A shark attack makes the mayor a victim. A killer makes him responsible.” Piper snorted derisively as she finished pinning up pictures.

“Once she got into that car, we have no idea what happened,” the detective continued, ignoring Piper.

“Well, the suspects' stories hold up. They've told them dozens of times without variation. There's got to be some truth in them. Piper?” He turned to the doctor who nodded, leaning down to examine the tape better.

“Kate’s body language seems at ease. Looks like she’s comfortable. Sydney’s language seems arrogant, smug.”

“Fits our guy to a tee,” the detective scoffed. “No manners on the boy.”

“See how she faces Sydney more than James,” Piper pointed out. “He’s definitely the charming one. Holds the door open for her. She likes him.”

“James sits in the back too,” Emily added. “Probably doesn’t like that much. Sydney takes the driver’s seat.”

“Doesn’t mean he’s the one in charge,” Piper countered to Emily’s confusion “Just saying we shouldn’t assume anything.”

“Bishop’s right,” Derek agreed, and Piper raised an eyebrow to him.

“Sorry, what was that?” Piper was beaming.

“I’m not repeating myself,” Derek protested. “But they’ve been here for about 3 days. We need to approach this from another angle.” Hotch nodded before looking at the detective.

“What’s your read on the boys?”

“Syd Pearson is a handful,” the detective admitted. “Jimmy Barrett is dumber than a box full of rocks. But they've been friends all their lives.”

“There’s got to be a reason,” Hotch murmured.

“Well, they've only been out of their holding cells to be interrogated or to use the John.”

“You've got a video?”

“Yeah, we got cameras in both rooms.”

“Good. We'll have to rely on nonverbal cues. That'll expose their weaknesses,” Hotch said as he glanced to the door. A young blond man was cuffed and getting pulled to another room, followed by a young man with short brown hair. For a moment, there was calm, but as another door opened, a burst of noise and anger left the agents rapt. Mr Joyce burst out of his waiting room, yelling at the young men about his daughter. Barrett, the brunet was quiet, his lack of antagonism tempered by Pearson’s smugness as he watched Mr Joyce get pulled away. As the two men were taken away to separate rooms.

“Barrett avoided conflict,” Hotch murmured. “Pearson was provocative.”

“The blond one's getting off on this,” Derek muttered darkly.

“Well, if he knows where Kate is, that's his power,” Emily said as Piper watched the spectacle end. Something was off. It was a nagging feeling, an itch she couldn’t scratch. She just couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Piper just shook it off, digging back into her work while Emily offered Pearson something to eat, anything he wanted, while Barrett remained in the supply room with the blinking video recorder. It had been Derek’s idea, trying to dig into their economic differences to split them apart and they’d agreed on it rather quickly. But here, while Piper focused on Syd’s behavioural cues, Hotch seemed preoccupied, no doubt with JJ’s predicament.

“You know, Strauss can’t force her to take the job,” Piper murmured to him when they were alone.

“No, she can’t.”

“So why are you worried?” Aaron stood up, glancing at the young brunette. Her gaze was kind, softly probing at his worries. There was something about her, something that made all your worries disappears. He was ten years older than her, and yet she made everything easier. He remembered the last time he’d talked about his stress around Jack and she’d made things easier then. She wasn’t meant to do that. That was his job. He was the one supposed to look out for her, to ask about her worries, to talk about the next horrifying case. But it was no doubt a habit she’d picked up, Aaron noted, from her psychiatrist and therapist days. He almost didn’t want to talk about it. But somehow as he watched her looking at him expectantly, wonderingly, her hands folded in her lap, he felt compelled to spit it out. Perhaps the plunge would be worth it.

“Because so far the DoD has just requested a transfer.”

“And you think they’re gonna pass an executive order? Can they do that?”

“Yes. They can order a transfer.” Piper nodded.

“It’s a good job,” she thought aloud. “Can’t imagine there’d be much travel and God knows she deserves a break.”

“Yeah, she does,” he agreed, a small smile playing on his lips. “She doesn’t want it though.” Piper turned her gaze to Sydney who sat solemnly on the other side of the glass.

“She may not have a choice,” Piper admitted slowly. “And it may not be what she wants. But the thing is, we’re family. Sometimes all we can do is just let her know that she’ll always have a place with us.” She turned to Hotch wearing a sombre smile. His gaze had hardened, and she recognised that look.

“We’ll get her back,” he said fiercely, and Piper nodded determinedly before turning back to their suspect.

“Let’s get this son of a bitch.”


	4. Chapter 4

Spencer walked down the sidewalk, sun beaming brightly on him as he matched Rossi’s pace. The older Italian man slipped his cell into his pocket before turning to Spencer as they approached the bar. “Kate Joyce comes from a stable family. She went to good schools, got good grades, has good friends. Everything points to her being a total sweetheart.”

“You don't think she is?”

“I'm sure she is,” he said as Spencer opened the glassy door for him.

“But?”

“She's 19. Everyone agrees—Kate wouldn't leave with those boys.”

“But she did,” Spencer reasoned while Rossi sidled into the bar and Spencer followed.

“Yeah. But why? Why would this girl, this sweetheart, take such a risk?”

“We don't have many images to go by,” the doctor pointed out as they stood in the empty bar.

“We saw enough to know what happened.” He envisioned the night, a busy bar, loud music reverberating around the bar making chatter less audible, her friends moving around, making sure their drinks weren’t spilling over. “Kate Joyce and her friends moved around a lot.”

“The suspects didn't,” Spencer recalled from the tapes. “They waited for her.”

“A sea of opportunity,” David mused. “Why was she drawn to those guys?”

“What if she knew them?”

“Her friends never said that,” Rossi countered.

“I think she trusted them,” Spencer proposed.

“Why?”

“She may have been testing her boundaries,” he mused. “But she's far too cautious to just go off with total strangers.”

“So, she met them before Friday night,” Rossi reasoned, and the duo gave the room a once over before leaving for the precinct.

Meanwhile, Piper had started to summarise Kate Joyce’s profile. Kate was born in 1991, joined swimming lessons in 1995 and her brother had died of leukemia. She’d come down to get a break from everything and now, her parents were in the other room fighting and grieving the death of both children. Her summary was interrupted by Garcia’s call, a sign that she’d found something in her den of computers. Piper passed the faxed material over to Hotch, Morgan and Prentiss before scanning her own copy. “Looks like these kids have always been trouble.”

“Started in 2000, they were 10,” Hotch mused.

“Naughty boys,” Emily scoffed. “Shoplifting, vandalism, burned a house down.”

“Abandoned building. Fireworks,” Derek listed, scanning through the documents. “Assault charges were dropped last summer.”

“Well, it looks like they bring out the worst in each other.” Hotch snapped his file shut. “Derek, start with Pearson. Emily, I want you with Barrett. Piper, focus on Emily’s interrogation. I’ll take Derek’s.” Piper settled into her seat as the profilers took their targets. The nagging feeling was still ringing in her head, a flare going off, but she still couldn’t quite place it. They passed the next half an hour like this, both breaking down each suspect’s behaviour until both Pearson and Barrett said something neither profiler expected. Derek looked back at the mirror, matching Hotch’s gaze and Emily burst in with the same report.

“Did you guys hear that?”

“Yeah,” Piper sighed. “They both asked for a polygraph.” Derek joined the trio inside.

“Do we have anything?” Hotch cricked his neck as Piper started first.

“Well, Barrett was curious but unsurprised about the lunch waiting outside for Pearson,” she said, running a hand through her hair. “Firm answers, he’s used to that line of questioning. Calm, trying to act aloof, but he’s speaking genuinely when you asked him about the boat. Might be reading into it a little, but he’s not very proud of his background.”

“He was quick to change the subject when I asked him about meeting Syd.”

“Yeah. Also, Barrett never mentions Kate by name, he’s distancing himself from the victim. When you mentioned her name, he shifted his weight and cricked his neck. His behaviour was pretty consistent until then.”

“What about Pearson?” Emily turned to Hotch.

“Pearson’s posture was relaxed, but he’s trying hard to maintain his image. Never smiles fully, running low on quips. He’s touchy about his injury, doesn’t handle rejection well, changes the subject—”

“With much condescension,” Piper scoffed, pouring a cup of coffee for her and Emily.

“He dropped his smile when I mentioned his girlfriend,” Derek noted.

“Probably not his girlfriend anymore,” Piper joked to no-one’s amusement as she slid the cup to Emily.

“His intonation was clear when he said he hadn’t done anything wrong. He believes it,” Hotch finished.

“Probably why they want a polygraph,” Emily reasoned.

“Or ‘cause they’re smug assholes and they’re trying to rub it in,” Piper pointed out which would have usually elicited at least a chuckle from Derek, but she received nothing.

Meanwhile, Rossi and Reid strolled into the precinct in full view of JJ. She excused herself from the parents, joining the two seasoned profilers in the bullpen. “We think Kate was comfortable with these guys,” David volunteered.

“How? Their only other encounter was at the jet ski rental,” JJ countered.

“The only documented encounter,” Spencer argued.

“Garcia's running her friends' credit cards, too,” Rossi added, leading the trio over to the rest of the team. “They could have met someplace else.”

“I don't know,” JJ confessed as Derek and Emily looked up from their files. “She's a smart girl.” Spencer moved behind Piper, resting a hand on her shoulder.

“Well, they're handsome, charming, 19,” Rossi exaggerated. “You remember 19?”

“Well, to be fair,” Piper said, knowing she would regret her words. “We are closer to her age than you, Rossi.” David turned to give her an evil smirk until Hotch piped up next to her.

“You’d be what, 35 years older now?” Hotch joked and Derek chuckled under his breath. Rossi would’ve torn them apart right there if not for Emily’s smooth subject change.

“So, what if Pearson promised to dump Jim Barrett?”

“And what? Jim retaliated?” JJ asked.

“I could work that theory,” Emily shrugged as the detective joined them.

“When do we get the results?” Hotch asked, wiping any sign of humour from his face.

“Any minute,” the detective replied, hitching up his belt. “So, what if they didn't do it? And we're back to nothing?”

“One of them knows where Kate is,” Hotch assured him.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because an innocent person doesn't sit quietly for 3 days. They get angry and defensive.”

“These guys are going out of their way to appear calm and in control,” Derek added. “They've got something to hide.”

“Then why take the polygraph?” the detective countered.

“'Cause they're stalling,” Derek said easily. “Serial killers are kings of manipulation.”

“Serial killers? Uh, there's only one potential victim.”

“Serial killing is a qualitative characteristic,” Hotch filled in for the detective. “It’s not just about numbers.

“They've assaulted at least one girl before,” Piper said, rubbing her eyes. “It was only a matter of time before they did it again.”

“Barrett's a perfect match for Pearson,” Emily added. “His family uprooted from the city, forcing him to adapt to his new surroundings. He's eager to fit in and quick to follow.”

“And Pearson's definitely got the dominant traits,” Derek continued. “He's loud, he's physical, he's smart, he's charismatic, and he's privileged.”

“Sounds like a peach,” Rossi scoffed.

“You have no idea,” Piper sighed, taking a long sip of her coffee.

“You should talk to him,” Hotch said, a small smirk playing on his lips.

“Love to.”

“I'll take you to him,” Piper volunteered, lifting off of the chair before guiding them to the interrogation cells. Hotch turned to survey JJ.

“How are the Joyces doing?”

“They lost their son 3 years ago,” she sighed, placing both hands on her waist as she glanced back. “If we can't find Kate...” She trailed off, dreading to think of the emotional consequences.

“If Kate knew these boys better than we thought, you might want to dig a little,” Hotch suggested lightly.

“Dig?” JJ didn’t raise any eyebrows or show the slightest sign of outrage, Emily noted. She was very good at her job.

“If the family thinks it could help, they may reveal something,” Hotch countered.

“I know.” JJ scuffed her heel to the floor. “It's just... They shouldn't have to.” She let out a breath before turning on her heel and Derek watched her retreating figure.

“Hotch, we can't lose her,” he cautioned his boss.

“Strauss thinks we're all replaceable,” Hotch sighed, glancing down at the mess on the table. “I went over her head to try to explain that we're not.”

In the other room, Piper drained the last of her coffee before tossing the empty mug in the trash as Rossi grabbed Sydney Pearson’s file and left the room, leaving Spencer and Piper alone. “I should probably talk to Barrett,” Spencer started, teetering on his heels.

“You should,” Piper agreed with a smirk as Spencer stepped closer. His chest was inches away from hers, his breath warming her nose slightly.

“I don’t want to,” he countered, eliciting a bright smile from Piper.

“Yeah, you do.”

“Yeah, I do,” he sighed, pressing his forehead gently to hers. “I just haven’t seen you all day.”

“Think about it this way,” Piper proposed. “If I wasn’t on the team, you wouldn’t see me at all.” Spencer scrunched his nose as if disgusted by the concept. “Go, Dr Reid. Do your job, so I can do mine.” She pushed him gently by the shoulders. He exaggerated her strength, pretending to stagger backwards and Piper giggled.

“Love you.”

“Love you, now go!” Piper watched his figure open the door and slip out before returning to her seat. Rossi was seasoned enough to pick up on the behavioural cues whilst interrogating the suspect, so Piper focused on Barrett. At least, that was the reason she told herself. It wasn’t that Spencer had picked her favourite cardigan, or how good his forearms looked, and it definitely wasn’t how, despite the terrible quality of the camera, her doctor was still looking good. But eventually, she was forced to look up at Rossi’s interrogation on the other side of the glass as Derek stormed in.

“The son of a bitch passed,” Derek practically yelled at the blond boy, tossing the result on the table as Hotch entered Piper’s room with two copies of the polygraph tests. One for Barrett, the other for Pearson. Both of them had passed with flying colours, giving a reason for Derek’s outrage. “How? How'd you do it?”

“Bastard believes his lies are the truth. Takes a few deep breaths and passes,” Rossi reasoned, glancing up from the result.

“Old-timer's kind of dramatic, isn't he?” Sydney chuckled. “You know, it's actually much simpler than that. You see, uh, I didn't actually do anything to her.”

“You didn't do anything?” Derek was barely controlling himself and Hotch was prepared to pull him out when Piper pulled him back, curious. “You gave me some pretty graphic details.”

“Oh, don't get me wrong,” Sydney laughed. “My DNA is all over that girl, but, uh, that doesn't mean I killed her. You can look at my cell. I’ve got pictures.”

“He’s right,” Piper murmured, glancing from Sydney to James. “They didn’t kill her.”

“Just because he gave us permission to—”

“No, I mean it was causation. They’re the reason she’s dead but—”

“They didn’t physically kill her,” Hotch understood.

“I’ll get Garcia to trace his cell’s GPS history.” Piper whipped out her cell while Rossi and Morgan stood Sydney up, interrogating him for an hour, each question sending a jabbing pain into his leg. He hadn’t slept and the roast beef started to swirl in his stomach. Meanwhile, Spencer broke down James with logic, sitting unflinching as Barrett yelled at the camera to get fixed, finally cracking. The boys were starting to crack, Hotch realised and Piper entered the room again. “How are they going?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Morgan turned off the camera in a minute. Garcia find anything?”

“His cell history fits his story. Bar, inlet, then hotel and home. I think we need to change tack.” Asking Piper what she meant had started to become irritating. She was intelligent, no doubt, but she needed to get to the point. “I need some leeway to work on a different angle.” Hotch nodded and Piper smiled before leaving to find the detective as he answered his cell.

“Erin,” he greeted the woman on the other end.

_“I told you, Agent Jareau's transfer is an executive decision.”_

“Ma'am, I'm asking you not to take it out on Agent Jareau because I went over your head.”

_“I know this is emotional for you—”_

“it's not emotional. It's a bad decision. She's a vital member of our team.”

_“I'm afraid it's a done deal.”_

“That's unacceptable.”

_“Well, what do you want me to do, Aaron, lose my job so she can keep hers?”_

“And I have no say in this?”

 _“You don't get it. They're not asking you. They want her back in D. C. now.”_ She cut the line and Hotch was left with agonising news, a case that was hitting walls everywhere and an agent hunting unknown leads. Hotch ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he’d picked up from his agent as his old friend returned. Aaron sighed internally before asking Morgan and Rossi’s opinions.

“I don't know,” Derek confessed. “This kid's got no shame. No guilt. He did horrible things to Kate, but... I don't think he killed her.”

“So, what are we saying? The only thing he's guilty of is being a scumbag?” Rossi asked, settling down in a seat.

“Any official charge for that?” Derek scoffed. Morale was dying. It was almost sunset, one agent was MIA, the rest of the profilers seemed to have almost given up and Hotch was preparing himself for a significant cut to the team. Things weren’t looking good. The three profilers scanned through each picture, rewound the interrogation tapes, but something wasn’t adding up.

Meanwhile, JJ struggled to keep up the Joyce family’s hopes although they weren’t acting much like a family at the moment. She sighed, combing out the ends of her clipped-up hair until she caught the sight of Piper bursting through the double doors before sprinting to the interrogation room. Her curiosity winning over, JJ followed the brunette who had snatched Emily’s bottle, her helmet strewn on the table. Spencer’s brows were knotted and Derek was fighting back a laugh.

“We’ve…been…looking at…the partnership…wrong,” she panted through gulps of water. “Pearson isn’t the dominant subject. Barrett was.” Morgan looked back at Hotch in confusion. “I got Garcia to look through Barrett’s life before he came here. Barrett was in trouble way before he met Pearson. There just wasn’t any record of it.”

“What?” They heard JJ ask softly.

“Yeah, turns out Barrett had anger issues, lots of tantrums. I talked to his parents, and I don’t think Pearson was a bad influence after all.”

“You think it's all an act?” Hotch asked her and Piper nodded, breathing hard.

“Barrett's never said her name,” Emily pointed out. “He's fidgety, looks like he's a submissive, but he's not entirely weak. He doesn't have the looks or confidence to pull this off, so he calls Syd to seal the deal.”

“We saw the pictures,” Derek added. “Kate rejected Barrett. He might have gotten angry.”

“What pictures?” Piper asked and Rossi passed Syd’s phone over to Piper. JJ inched over to see the photos of the trio; Sydney Pearson with an arm slung across Kate Joyce and James Barrett lingering in the background. Piper slid the photo across, glancing at the photo of Sydney and Kate in the car until JJ spotted something in between the seats.

“That’s Kate’s phone. There, in the backseat. Kate's mom has that right now.”

“Didn’t they recover that from her room?” Piper asked and JJ nodded.

“So, she made it back,” Morgan deduced. “Kate's cell phone was left in the car and then later turned up in her room.”

“How?” Emily asked.

“Same way they passed the polygraph,” Piper realised. “Most of the story’s true. They pick Kate up, take her to the inlet, drop her off at the hotel room.”

“They find the phone in the car,” Rossi continued. “Circle back and then kidnap her.”

“Hold on,” Emily countered. “The detective asked if they killed Kate, they said no.”

“Because they didn’t,” Piper said slowly. “You said Barrett had a boat.”

“The locals checked it,” Hotch countered. “No sign Kate was ever on it.”

“He must have cleaned it,” Spencer surmised. “That’s why he was late to work the next day.”

“Pearson took Barrett home, just like they said,” Emily repeated, pacing. “But then because Barrett was rejected, he circled back to punish Kate.”

“Well, why would she let him in?” Derek asked.

“Because he had this,” JJ said, holding up the picture of Kate’s phone.

“No sign of a struggle in the room,” Rossi added. “Barrett lured her outside, maybe drugged her, took her to his boat.”

“He was obsessed with the inlet,” Spencer recalled. “He knew the traffic patterns there and when the fishermen were coming in and tourist charters were going out.” Piper paled as she recalled something else.

“The blood from the catch attracts hundreds of sharks,” Piper said softly, collapsing into a seat. “It's a feeding frenzy out there that time of night.”

“We asked him if he killed her. He didn't. Asked where her body is. He doesn't know. Technically, those aren't lies,” Spencer said, matching Piper’s tone of voice. Piper’s face morphed into a determination to nail Barrett to a wall.

“Reid, Bishop, get Barrett’s confession,” Hotch directed them sternly and Emily followed them while Derek and David revisited Sydney.

“Hotch, Kate’s a strong swimmer,” JJ started.

“JJ, it’s been three days,” he countered.

“She could still be alive,” JJ rebutted and glared at him until Hotch’s will relinquished. JJ left with the detective and Kate’s parents for the inlet, ready to coordinate search and rescue. Hotch returned his gaze to the federal agents with Barrett.

“Why is the GPS on your boat missing?” Spencer asked calmly. Quiet anger was the scariest type, Hotch noted, and these doctors were filled with it.

“It isn’t,” Barrett protested but it was deafened by Piper’s seething arrogance.

“Come on, he’s smart enough to have dumped it,” she spat, circling around Barrett like a shark while Spencer sat patiently, his face a mask of sincerity. “Tell me, did you dump it before or after you tossed Kate Joyce into shark-infested waters?”

“Who is she?” Barrett asked, faking sincerity but Spencer ignored him.

“You said the inlet's quiet between 4:00 and 5 am,” Spencer recalled. “That's when you took Kate out, right?”

“You didn't want the search party to find her, so you kept going,” Piper filled in. “And going. You had 6 hours before work. How far did you get? About 75 miles out?”

“Who are you?” James asked again.

“A full tank on a single outboard motor will get you 150 miles,” Spencer deduced, their voices drowning Barrett’s. “At 25 miles per hour, your round trip took just over 6 hours. Which is why you were late for work.”

“Well, at least you didn't kill her,” Piper scoffed. “No, you just left her to die. That's why you asked for a polygraph.”

“You knew you'd pass it,” Spencer filled in as Emily smirked in the background. “Remind me, why did you take Kate to the inlet?”

“To look at the pretty boats,” Piper supplied for him. “But that was all Sydney’s idea wasn’t it? He thought she’d like the pretty boats.”

“Did she?” Spencer asked. “Did she like boats, James?”

“Oh no, she liked Sydney more. Did that make you angry, James?” Piper said, leaning over Barrett’s chair.

“You’re breathing on my neck,” he protested through gritted teeth. Piper smiled humourlessly.

“Right. Is that what drowning feels like, James?” she asked bitterly.

“I think it’s more suffocating,” Spencer supplied. “Like you’re boxed in completely.”

“But there’s a choice, isn’t there, James? You’re suffocating and your reflex is to gasp for air, but you know the minute you do that, your lungs will fill to the brim with water.”

“But if you choose to not open your mouth, to not let the water in, if you hold off until that reflex kicks in, you get more time to be in agonizing pain. Did you forget about the part where you feel like your head's exploding?” Piper clicked her tongue at Spencer.

“You’re right. There’s only so long she can fight it off. How long have you been in here, again?”

“70 hours,” Barrett sighed.

“Right, that’s 70 hours of Kate Joyce in icy cold water, trying to fight off the agonising pain in her head. Why? Because she didn’t like you,” Piper said, her tone frosty. “Emily,” she said, straightening up, feigning nonchalance. “You like this guy?”

“Nope,” Emily said, still smirking. “I’m missing out on poker night.” Piper turned back to Barrett.

“So, would you do the same to her?” Piper said, her words ravaging him. “Would you dump Emily into an inlet, away from any possible rescue attempt, all because she decided she’d rather screw your best friend than you? Is that what you did to Kate? Is that how miserably, resolutely and embarrassingly insecure you are?” James’s will had withered away with each spitting, bitter curse hurled at him from the agents, but he refused to break down, feigning the same arrogance the agents had relied upon to crack him instead. He stretched out his knuckles, rapping on the desk before standing up.

“I think your time’s up.”

“Sit down,” Piper yelled sharply and pushed his shoulders, slamming into the chair. She pressed on his shoulder hard, her face inches from his. “You leave when we tell you to leave, you know why? Because you refused a lawyer. Your parents have given up on you. Your so-called brother broke down. Sydney confessed. You. Are. Alone. And believe me, we will find Kate.”

“You still think she has a chance, huh?” James said, glancing up at Piper smugly with sunken eyes. Piper licked her lips, leaning down on her wrists as she glowered at James Barrett.

“Yeah, because I’ve met people like Kate. So, I’m going to make one thing very clear to you. Kate will give everything she’s got to survive. She’s the one who fights on a few more minutes. She’s gonna hold her breath and she’s gonna fight to her very last breath. And when we find her, I’m gonna make damn sure that you never see freedom again.”

With that, Piper pushed off the table before flinging the door open to show Barret a sight that shook him to his core. Sydney was being led out of the interrogation room, rubbing his wrists where handcuffs should have been, an officer stretching an arm out for Sydney to walk towards the exit. What James didn’t see was the other officer cuffing James and taking him to his holding cell.

Meanwhile, Hotch joined JJ in front of her SUV, looking out to the bay as helicopters whirred past the horizon. “Coast guard’s 70 miles out,” JJ reported. “No sign of her.”

“JJ—”

“Kate's an amazing swimmer. If he didn't kill her when she hit the water, there's still a chance,” JJ said, disrupting Hotch’s tone.

“JJ, that's 3 days in the ocean,” Hotch countered gently.

“I know,” JJ sighed, glancing over to Mrs Joyce who clung to her husband as they overlooked the water, wind whipping her coarse hair.

“Agent Hotchner,” they heard a call behind them. It was the detective, clutching a radio as he pulled on his jacket. “They found her, hugging a buoy. She's alive.” JJ felt a great burden lift free of her chest and she moved over to the Joyce’s as Hotch rushed to spread the news to his own team. James Barrett was to be charged with homicide by causation while Pearson would be charged with conspiracy and as an accomplice. Both would see jail time and hopefully, Barrett would be behind bars for a very long time.


	5. Chapter 5

The jet back was quiet, almost deliberative as Emily sat silently in front of JJ’s thoughtful position. Derek plugged in his headset while Piper took her usual headrest on Spencer’s thigh, both reading their separate books. Rossi dozed peacefully while Hotch deliberated on how to break the news to JJ.

Any other day, the team would have gone straight home, but Piper claimed she had paperwork pending. Spencer alleged that he had a few books he needed to pick up from his desk, while Derek said that he had to walk Penelope home rather unconvincingly. Emily glared at Piper’s narrowed eyes at her assertion that they would be having a drink later while Rossi lamely maintained that he had a book draft left to finish and he worked better at the office.

It seemed to Hotch that the profilers sensed the storm brewing around JJ’s employment and that it would settle tonight. They witnessed it too, from the bullpen through the windows of the conference room as Hotch passed JJ an application form. They watched the blonde sink into her seat, grabbing a pen from her pocket, one she’d stolen from Piper’s desk a few weeks ago, and fill out her paperwork for the transfer. There was no choice, they collected from Hotch’s glance as he left the room and firm march to his cabin. Emily was defensive, proposing any idea other than the notion they were all dreading, but they garnered from JJ’s sorrowful steps towards them that that was not the case. Piper heard a soft ‘No’ slip from Emily’s lips as Derek lifted himself from his perch on Prentiss’s desk. Spencer glanced from JJ’s grim eyes to his girlfriend’s miserable expression, to his friends’ horrified faces. Derek was the first to speak.

“Wait a minute, I thought Hotch was supposed to—”

“It’s above his pay grade, Strauss’s too,” JJ defended, meeting Derek’s gaze. Always defensive, always protecting the team, she thought. She would miss that, Derek’s fierce stamina, ready to shield them at any moment. But this was no door he could bust through, no window he could smash. He couldn’t protect her from a bureaucracy. Piper protested next.

“That’s ridiculous, they can’t force you to transfer.” JJ snorted softly. Faithful to the bone, JJ thought proudly. Ready at a moment’s notice to sacrifice everything for her family. She was proud of how far Piper had come, from a sister saving her siblings, from a teacher saving her students, to a federal agent trying to save her.

“It’s an executive decision. Either I do it, or they fire me.”

“They can’t just take you away,” Spencer murmured, gears whirring in his head, looking for some loophole, some regulation that would free her. She’d miss that too. Spencer’s determination to outthink every problem, every barrier. He’d bested his father, his doubtful teachers, the brass, his addiction but he couldn’t beat this.

“So, we do nothing?” Emily asked. JJ smiled weakly. Always the practical one, she noted sadly. The pragmatic one. The one looking for the next step forward. She loved that about Emily. She was the one who never lingered on the past, always the one looking to the future.

“It’s done,” she sighed.

“It can’t be that simple,” Derek countered.

“It is,” JJ said, masking her pain with a chuckle.

“This job is hard enough, what are they trying to do, bury us?”

“You’re too good,” Emily scoffed, pushing back tears. “That’s the problem.”

“That’s true,” Rossi said, finally finding his voice to speak. “You’re on everybody’s wish list.” JJ watched the seasoned profiler thoughtfully. It was strange how motherly David Rossi could be sometimes, but she always appreciated it when his tender, thoughtful side came out. “Our loss is someone else’s gain.”

“They can’t just take you away,” Spencer repeated softly, struggling to come to any plausible, feasible conclusion on what to do next. JJ moved over, rubbing his arm as Spencer stared at the linoleum flooring. Piper back against her desk, tapping it thoughtfully.

“We’ll do something,” Piper said encouragingly.

“Like what?” JJ chuckled sadly.

“I don’t know,” Piper sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I could run my bike into the Pentagon?” That earned a genuine laugh from JJ.

“Derek could kick down all the doors?” Spencer proposed, running with Piper’s attempts to cheer JJ up.

“I’ve got spray paint!” Emily proposed loudly and Rossi looked at her alarmingly.

“Why?” Emily shrugged.

“Guys,” JJ pleaded, earning their attention. She surveyed her team. No, her family, she corrected. Spencer, her little brother. Piper, her little sister. Derek, her older brother. Emily, her older sister. David, her rich Italian grandfather.

“We’ll wait for you,” Piper promised.

“No matter what,” Derek added before enveloping JJ in a hug. Soon enough, JJ was suffocated by tender arms and someone’s tears. As she pulled away, she noted it was Spencer’s. With a final squeeze of Spencer’s arm, the team watched as the woman made her way out. JJ walked a slow, familiar path to Penelope’s office. It was strange, JJ noted, how they never called it her office. It was always her cave, her shelter from the rich, bloody storm the others forged into. But here, as she leaned against the doorframe, watching Penelope turn off her screens with crossed arms.

“You’re still here?” JJ asked her softly and Penelope turned around. Her black, flowery dress hugged her frame, her short blue jacket tugged over it with a matching flower tucked into her hair.

“Figured you’d get to me eventually,” she said thickly. JJ glanced at the floor. “You’re leaving?” She forced herself to meet Penelope’s tortured gaze. “You could’ve told me. I would’ve done something. I would have made it impossible for them to let you go. I would have put something in your file.”

“It's not up to me. Or Hotch.”

“Don't they understand that we're a family?” Penelope exclaimed, stepping closer to JJ, almost on the verge of tears. “That that's why this works, is because we're a family. Do they even care?”

“I don't know,” JJ confessed.

“I can't believe...” JJ watched Garcia stop herself unravelling and take a huge breath, wiping her hands over her thighs. “Ok, no, that's— I'm supposed to say that this is a great opportunity, which it is,” she said, marching over to JJ firmly. “I don't know the way this place works without you,” she confessed. “You're like the glue around here who's gonna make us feel safe.”

“There's plenty of big, strong men around,” JJ scoffed.

“See that, right there? Your total ignorance of how awesome you are is one of the 5,000 things I love about you,” Penelope said, her voice a little calmer, a little more loving.

“I'm still gonna be in the city, ok? More than normal, probably,” JJ assured Penelope.

“Sure. And we'll make a plan. Breakfast every Tuesday. And life gets in the way. And what if I only see you on birthdays and holidays?” Her voice cracked despite herself.

“I won't let that happen,” JJ said firmly.

“Okay. You better not, because I know where to find you.” JJ chuckled and the two women smiled at each other.

“We'll walk out together?” Penelope proposed.

“Uh... There's—there's one more thing I need to do before I go,” JJ said, turning over her file. Penelope smiled at her tearfully and JJ pressed her into a hug, urging herself not to cry before leaving the cave.

She wound through the building, finally reaching Strauss’s office to deposit her transfer. She left without saying a word to the Section Chief, roaming the halls of Quantico, lingering through the empty building.

She walked down the empty hallways of the Behavioural Analysis Unit; her head held high as she flashed through the memories of the last 7 years. Emily comforting her on the jet after a hard case. Piper comforting her about her sister. Penelope’s ardent desire to find out what happened to Princess Diana. Spencer’s attempt to comfort her about her pregnancy, only to be completely unsettled by Henry’s kicking. Derek holding Henry for the first time. Rossi buying them drinks. The rare moments when Hotch would laugh. As she walked past the bullpen where they shared their lives with each other, entrusting them to each other, she was reminded of her transfer form, playing her words inside her head.

“I'm thankful for my years spent with this family. For everything that we shared, every chance we had to grow. I'll take the best of them with me and lead by their example wherever I go. A friend told me to be honest with you. So, here it goes. This isn't what I want, but I'll take the high road. Maybe it's because I look at everything as a lesson. Or because I don't want to walk around angry. Or maybe it's because I finally understand. There are things we don't want to happen but have to accept. Things we don't want to know but have to learn. And people we can't live without but have to let go.”

The elevator doors closed in front of her for the last time.


End file.
